Hobart Plasma

[Big Bri]

are these any good for home shop, a friend of mine wants to sell me his airforce 625 for $800. He only had for 6 months,It looks pretty new, he told me he didn't use it much. I just don't want to buy it if it is junk.
Thanks
Brian

 

[Code54]

Im not sure of the model you are looking at but I have the 220V hobart plasma and love it. Works great and saves me a lot of work!! I paid about $1100 for mine new

 

[Big Bri]

Im not sure of the model you are looking at but I have the 220V hobart plasma and love it. Works great and saves me a lot of work!! I paid about $1100 for mine new

Thanks, i've never used a hobart before and didn't know how good they were.
you say yours is 220 volt, do you know what model? i just wondering if you got yours for 1100, might be worth the extra 300 and buy new. . . or maybe try to talk him down some.
thanks

 

[Jeepnford]

I'd look up the specs on hobarts web sit and see if it's capable of what you'll be doing with it. I don't own one yet because the one I want is about 2 grand. But I have used them enough to know a smaller one would be almost useless for myself.

 

[Dave_in_MD]

I have an Airforce 400 and love it. Haven't had any problems at all. We have the Miller version of the 625 at work and it is great too.

 

[J_J]

are these any good for home shop, a friend of mine wants to sell me his airforce 625 for $800. He only had for 6 months,It looks pretty new, he told me he didn't use it much. I just don't want to buy it if it is junk.
Thanks
Brian

It list for about $1699. It is in the 40 amp range of plasma cutters. Maybe cut 3/8 in. What most people don't consider is that 40 amps is doing about the same thing as the name brands. I have a Lincoln 25, and a 55 amp plasma cutter. As long as you have the amps and good clean air, I don't think you can tell which machine cut a certain piece of steel. I paid $2500 for my Pro-Cut 55, but I could not swear that it was the best. It does what I want it to do. I have purchased a machine torch for it to use on my plasma cutting table.

Hobart 500493 - Airforce 625 Plasma Cutter

 

[Big Bri]

thanks for all the info, i think i'm going to buy it. will talk to him when he gets off work tonight.
thanks again
Brian

 

[J_J]

Here is something nice to have for a plasma cutter. It has two things on it. a hole cutter, and the wheels to keep it off the steel and guide you along a straight edge.

Plasma Cutting Guide

 

[Aggieville]

I think it depends entirely on the condition of the plasma.

 

[Greg9504]

or maybe try to talk him down some.
thanks

$800 for a $1700 machine that is six months old and you want to talk him down? That is an awesome machine for that price. If it is only 6 months old he probably still has the receipt.

It is in the 40 amp range of plasma cutters. Maybe cut 3/8 in.

You can cut 1", you wont get a nice FLAT cut (it will be concave), but you will get a clean cut. You will breeze through 1/2" no problem. I get pretty good cuts on 3/4" with my Powermax 600 (a 40 AMP machine). Just knock the slag off with a hammer. I still need to grind if I want to remove the torch marks. Finding the right hand speed, and then getting nice smooth movement is key, something I'm not always able to do.

I will say this, I wish I had a bandsaw instead of my plasma. While I have used my plasma to cut angle and tube, you just can't do as nice a cut as a bandsaw will do. The plasma is great for flat bar and sheet, but if you want to cut a lot of tube and angle a bandsaw will be a better purchase.

 

[J_J]

These are the specs on the Powermax 600 , 40 amps

http://www.hypermax.org/Specs 600.htm

 

[zukota]

As long as you have the amps and good clean air

Just wanted to stress this. It's important.

 

[Gary Fowler]

JJ, glad to see someone finally started making the cutting torch roller guide. About 35years ago, I made a similar roller guide for an OA torch from a 3/4" 2H nut and 2 cutting wheels from a pipe cutter. I just tackwelded the axles to the nut, drilled and tapped the nut for in a set screw that tightened on the cutting tip. It worked like a charm and took all of 30 minutes to make.

 

[Big Bri]

well i screw up big time. i started reading about different plasma torches and was starting to wonder if i should buy this one or order a different one. by the time a figured that at this price ans for how little i would use it that it was better to buy the used hobart than to buy a new Thermal Dynamics torch(which i liked every thing i read about except the price $1499) so when i go to buy the hobart i'm told that he already sold it. . .i hate over thinking things.